The Great Bear Rainforest, Canada

Introduction

The Great Bear Rainforest is the name coined by environmental groups in the mid-1990s to refer to a remote region of temperate rain forest in Canada, on the British Columbia Coast between Vancouver Island and Southeast Alaska. Part of the larger Pacific temperate rain forest ecoregion, the Great Bear Rainforest is also known as the Central and North Coast forest, or simply the Central and North Coast.

THE PLACE

Stretching along the west coast of Canada, the Great Bear Rainforest is a spectacular forest ecosystem - a rich, dense, primal rainforest of towering red cedars and full of life. Grizzly bears, black bears and their genetic variant, the rare white Kermode or 'spirit bear', also depend on the rainforest for their habitat.

How to Get Around:

Since many areas are accessible only by floatplane, booking an all-inclusive tour covering transportation, meals, and lodging is the most convenient option. Pacific Coastal Airlines operates direct flights from Vancouver to the Great Bear Rainforest communities of Bella Bella, Bella Coola, and Klemtu. BC Ferries offers a summer-only ferry service to many local communities through its Discovery Coast Passage. Other water-based options include Maple Leaf Tours' sailboat-based guided excursions and, in late August and early September.